Hola family and friends,
I feel like three weeks have passed in two days. Oh my, what a range of emotions.
Right now I feel sad. My companion and good friend, Hna. Yost, is going to the jungle (Pucallpa) today because of emergency transfers (one of the sisters got hurt and is in the hospital so she is replacing her). She has been one of my best friends here in the mission and is one of the coolest people I know (Is she my “Sister Cox”? Can I invite her to Debbie’s wedding next year? ....Inside joke for the Christensen sisters, esp. Bequis and Lisa). I will remember singing gospel soul music while washing clothes by hand with her and other fond memories. Hna. Avalos and I are sad, but are happy that we can still be together for at least 2 more weeks (who knows, perhaps I will lose another good friend (Hna. Avalos) in the next transfer. I don’t like this part of the mission. Making friends and having to leave them........at least there is Facebook after the mission).
I am also happy and grateful because we have seen major miracles with the family of Rosa and Amador. This family is so special. They have had some struggles, but by major faith and miracles, the whole family attended General Conference yesterday (it was broadcast a week later because the 2nd and 3rd were elections in Peru). After the Conference, we went to their house and talked with them about what they learned and how they felt. We could see a major change in their countenances. They were more relaxed and happy. Amador loved Dallin Oaks’ talk on the two channels to God—the personal line and the priesthood line. He just soaked up the conference and kept on citing different passages that he loved. His wife, Rosa, told us that she had attended various churches before and felt differently in our church. She loved the way that the apostles and church leaders taught so simply and told us that she had a desire to go back and learn more.
We invited them as a family to prepare to follow the example of Jesus Christ in their life and to be baptized as a family on the 23 of October and they said that is the desire of their hearts. Rosa and Amador have their documents and want to get married tomorrow, but the money is an issue. But, with faith we look at the possibilities, and God prepares a way. I cried when we taught them (I get the sentimental genes and tear ducts from Mom and Grandpa), because I could see that the Lord has prepared this family to receive and accept the Restored Gospel. We told them, “The Lord has so many blessings for you. This is just the beginning.” We are going to gift them a Liahona of the past Conference talks. They were so excited to find out that they can read the words of living prophets every month. I want to be there when they get sealed in the temple in a year.
On Tuesday it was our zone leader’s birthday and so we surprised him with a birthday cake. We asked to be excused, in order to use the bathroom, and then we ran out the chapel and went to the bakery and picked up the cake we had ordered (Peruvian cake is so much better than any North American cake. It had strawberries, whipped cream, etc. So good!). Our zone leader gave us a look for “taking a long time in the bathroom” but we just tried not to laugh the whole time. After the meeting we sang “Happy Birthday” and the next day gave him a copy of the movie and photos I took of the birthday celebration. We joke around how the sisters are really the zone leaders, because we are in charge of service projects and planning P-days. Fun times.
That’s all, folks!
Love, Hna. Christensen
